Is the Pope's visit a blessing or a curse - 1

Pope Leo XIV, who was elected as the spiritual leader of Catholics and President of the Vatican State following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, will make his first foreign trip to Turkey between November 27 and 29.

Pope Leo will come at the invitation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, not the Republic of Turkey. The reason for the invitation is the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, which holds an important place in the history of Christianity.

In fact, this invitation had been extended to Pope Francis, and the Council's anniversary meeting was scheduled for May. However, after Francis passed away and Pope Leo decided to come to Nicaea as if it were a testament, the meeting was postponed to this month.

How do we know that the true inviter is Patriarch Bartholomew? Both from the invitation he extended when they met after attending the new Pope Leo's inauguration ceremony on May 18, and from his discussion of the details of the Turkey visit during his own visit on May 30.

Let us note that the Pope hosted Patriarch Bartholomew with the title of “Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople” in both meetings.

The program was initially the Nicaea meeting and a visit to the “Ecumenical Patriarchate” in Istanbul. Someone must have intervened, taking into account the discomfort this would cause in Turkey, as the first day of the Pope's program was planned as an arrival in Ankara and a meeting with Erdoğan.

Before we come to the meaning and importance of the Pope's visit, which makes some people happy by saying “faith tourism will revive, Nicaea will become a pilgrimage center,” let us describe the recent activities of the host, Patriarch Bartholomew, and his team.

WHAT HAPPENED IN HATAY AND ADANA AFTER A CENTURY?

As is known, October 6 was the 102nd anniversary of the liberation of Istanbul from enemy occupation. In the message he published, Erdoğan stated that they “continue to work with great determination to protect, sustain, and carry our Republic, which was founded on the heritage of our ancient civilization, into the future by strengthening it with new achievements.”

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel also made a reference to the political debates centered on the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, saying, “History reminds us; Istanbul never surrenders. They will go as they came.”

Erdoğan, while reiterating his love for Istanbul at the opening of the Atatürk Airport National Garden the other day, gave the following messages:

“We are not leaving our Istanbul to the mercy of the incompetent, who do not know their business, do not appreciate value, and lack a sense of history and civilization. Let everyone know that our hearts will never consent to this noble city experiencing another Period of Interregnum. With this understanding, we have mobilized all our resources for Istanbul. While the main opposition is shouting empty slogans in the squares, we are running for Istanbul, for all 86 million.”

Wishing that “the government and the main opposition would pay as much attention to the calculations of others regarding Istanbul as they do to their political struggle,” let us convey the latest developments in order.

The Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, which is in very close cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, decided on October 13 to establish a new patriarchate in our country under the name “Archdiocese of the Tarsus, Adana and Iskenderun (Hatay) Region.” The patriarchate, which was reported to have been established upon the request of believers in the region, was named the “Archdiocese of Aleppo and Dependent Territories.”

Journalist and digital publisher Bircan Yıldırım explained the meaning of this with the following post:

“Betrayal to Atatürk and Hatay!! Our Ancestor was against the Metropolitans!! Get ready for division, I am leaving a note for history. A Greek Orthodox Metropolitanate will be established in Tarsus, Adana and Hatay after a century. It has been decided that Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Vicar Archimandrite Pavlus Orduluoğlu will be appointed as Metropolitan to the Tarsus, Adana and Hatay regions of Turkey. With this decision, a Metropolitanate will be re-established in the region after 100 years.”

Another decision was taken on October 16 at the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; “upon the request of Metropolitan Chrysostomos and the recommendation of Bartholomew, a new auxiliary bishop was elected to the Metropolitanate of Symi.”

Do you know where Symi is? It is the island of Sömbeki, which was given from Italy to Greece on the condition that it be demilitarized in accordance with the 1947 Paris Treaty, but which Greece continues to arm.

According to the Treaty of Lausanne, the Patriarchate is only responsible for the religious affairs of the Greeks in Istanbul, Bozcaada, and Gökçeada; but as can be seen, the metropolitanate on this island is affiliated with the Patriarchate, and the Patriarchate makes appointments there!..

''ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, NEW ROME''

October 22 was the 34th anniversary of Bartholomew's election as Patriarch.

Elpidophoros, whom Bartholomew appointed as Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church in the USA while he was the so-called Metropolitan of Bursa and Director of the Halki Seminary, emphasized in his congratulatory message that “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was elected Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch 34 years ago.”

Let us come to Patriarch Bartholomew; he was in Romania last week for some celebrations regarding the Romanian Church, which operates under the Patriarchate. In a speech he gave at a meeting, he also used the title “Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.”

1920 CHURCH CIRCULAR

Again, in a speech he gave at a university in Romania, while talking about the 1700th anniversary meeting of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, he spoke of “the deepening relationship between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, celebrating the roots of common faith together, and the determination for inter-Christian dialogue and dealing with the challenges in the world,” and said that “the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been at the forefront of this call for dialogue since its 1920 circular titled ‘To the Churches of Christ Everywhere’.”

When 1920 is mentioned, does one not remember the anti-national struggle activities of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Treaty of Sèvres? So what is this circular?

Dorotheos, who served as Patriarchal Vicar between 1918-1921, carried demands such as leaving Istanbul to Greece, recognizing the autonomy of minorities, and independence from Ottoman rule to international platforms with the support of Western powers. To this end, he first published a circular in 1919 encouraging the unity of churches to strengthen his relations with the Anglican Church, and while asking for support from this church, in a letter he wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury on May 28, 1919, he described the Sultan remaining in Istanbul as a “crime before God and humanity.” He also demanded that Istanbul be taken from the Turks and that Hagia Sophia be restored. The Archbishop of Canterbury also stated that they had applied to the British government and that the Church of England would continue its efforts in this regard.

The circular published by the Patriarchate in January 1920 also included suggestions such as “inter-church representative exchange, pan-Christian conferences, student exchange” with a call to “overcome distrust and hatred between churches and love and partnership.”

HALKI SEMINARY, ERDOĞAN AND CHP

While Greece usurps the most basic educational rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, imperialists are pushing for the Halki Seminary to operate in an autonomous structure contrary to the Constitution and the Law on Unification of Education.

As a matter of fact, in the Erdoğan-Trump meeting on September 25, without Trump saying anything, Erdoğan said, “We are already ready to do whatever falls to us regarding the Halki Seminary. I will also have the opportunity to discuss the issue with Mr. Bartholomew upon my return.” Trump replied, “Very good. They needed help and I said I would bring this up.”

The reason for this dialogue was that before Erdoğan, Patriarch Bartholomew, who was hosted at the White House on September 15, had explained this issue and other problems to Trump, and the US had conveyed these to Ankara before the meeting with Erdoğan.

Let us open a parenthesis and state why we are also criticizing the CHP on these issues.

Upon the Halki Seminary being brought to the agenda in the Erdoğan-Trump meeting, Namık Tan, the Deputy Chairman of the CHP responsible for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote the following:

“The Halki Seminary is essentially an internal administrative matter. It is our common shame that this was opened before Trump because it has been stalled for decades. Presumably, the venerable Patriarch Bartholomew must have opened this meeting to Trump during his visit to the White House before Erdoğan upon advice for the benefit of Turkey. It should be concluded positively as soon as possible without being made a subject of bargaining.”

Tan also visited Patriarch Bartholomew on October 21 and made the following post:

“Naturally, we talked about the problems of the Greek Orthodox community and possible solutions. On this occasion, I had the opportunity to express once again, in essence rather than in words, our commitment as the CHP to the principle of approaching all citizens of our Republic equally, regardless of language, religion, or race. In this context, I reiterated that we have adopted a completely positive and constructive attitude regarding the reopening of the Halki Seminary within the framework of our Constitution and laws. I would also like to carefully add that I see Patriarch Bartholomew, whose personal friendship dates back years due to my previous duties, as a true asset of our country.”

THIS IS HOW THE PATRIARCHATE'S ROLE WAS EXPLAINED TO TRUMP

In the Trump-Bartholomew meeting, not only the issue of the Seminary but also the “history and role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate” were discussed.

According to what one of the names accompanying Bartholomew told the Greek media, “they went to the meeting with an introductory text because they knew that Trump had very little knowledge about the Patriarchate.”

When the explanation to Trump began to drift into excessive details and analyses, Vice President Vance intervened and told Trump that “the Ecumenical Patriarch is a figure for the Orthodox Church like the Pope is for the Catholic Church,” and said, “Rome and Constantinople are the two main pillars of Christianity.”

Let us add Vance's characteristics; he is a devout Catholic who closely follows the dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. He is the politician who had his last meeting with Pope Francis shortly before his death, and his first meeting with the new Pope Leo.

Is this the reason we draw attention to these details?

A few days ago, Ertuğrul Özkök wrote at the annual ball of the American Turkish Society in New York that the most important topic of the night was the visit Pope Leo would make to Turkey, that this visit carried a very important symbolic meaning for the Christian world because the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea would be commemorated, and after stating that he learned that US Vice President Vance was also discussed to come to Turkey with Pope Leo, he noted the following:

“Then the Pope's visit will gain even greater importance for Turkey, the Vatican, our region, and the world.”

Whether Vance comes or not, the Pope's visit is very important in itself. But whether it is a blessing or a curse for Turkey, let us tell that in the next article.

Müyesser YILDIZ

November 3, 2025